


one shot

by newtsgeiszler



Category: Pacific Rim
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-02
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-14 06:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1255867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newtsgeiszler/pseuds/newtsgeiszler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>10 years is a long time to deal with someone you hate with every fiber of your being.<br/>At least they think it's hate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	one shot

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this as a one shot (hence the title) sometime late at night and after the replies of my friends to it decided fuck it, let's post it on ao3 after over a year and some months of no new works. So yeah, enjoy some pacrim.

The first time Newton Geiszler meets Hermann Gottlieb he thought for the first time in his entire lifetime he would put a fist through a wall. Well actually scratch that, he’s put his fist through a door because he was so frustrated when he was a late teen over his problems and it had grown to so much that before he knew it his uncle was getting out the medical kit and helping bandage up his hand. He said nothing against Newt, never said anything about fixing the door or that Newt shouldn’t have done it, and for that Newt was grateful. His dad and uncle understood, as best as they could, and never treated him any differently. But this time a wall would pay the price.  
Hermann and Newt had been smacked together because of the K-Science and J-Tech divisions, saying that since they were the best in their divisions, why not put them together to bring out even more ideas. 

That was the worst fucking idea they could’ve had Newt had decided 5 minutes into meeting the man. Not only did he snark at him and his work, Newt swore he never heard a word come out of his mouth that wasn’t dripping with sarcasm or some kind of exasperation/anger. So naturally Newt did everything in his power to push at him, from leaving bits on kaiju remains on his desk to playing his music just a little too loudly in the lab before Hermann threatened to destroy it unless he used headphones. It was one of the few battles Hermann won, but Newt would up the rambling under his breath and even more kaiju made its way over the tape Hermann had put up in the lab.  


For 10 years this continued, and Newt started wondering why they were still together. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about it before, the words floating around his mind with the facts about a kaiju’s skeletal structure, but now he was just fully thinking about it. For as much as the other man drove him up the wall, it had become almost second nature to issue a “good morning” to him before the insults and words would be thrown at him 10 minutes later. It didn’t even feel like they were arguing anymore, just saying words that came to them so naturally it was like a rehearsed play. Over the years Newt had grown to like, hell even care for Hermann, not that he would ever voice it (unless Hermann did it first). They had grown accommodated to each other’s presence in the labs they worked in, moving around each other without bumping into the other, knowing when to actually be silent for once during a particularly hard work piece for Hermann or when Newt needed to absolutely positively not be disturbed. Then, the energy between them seemed almost...relaxed. Not fully, but just enough.  


It would be strange during days when Newt shut himself away for a few days, to not feel Hermann’s presence near him. It was like an empty space, and it made him feel slightly lost and strung like a small coil, ready to snap if pulled too tightly. When he would finally return to the lab, Hermann would say nothing, Newt would say nothing, and life would resume, kaiju coming out of the Breach, jaegers fighting against them, pilots becoming rock stars, etcetera etcetera what a wonderful world.  


Then the wall happened, the jaegers were falling, the pilots became legendary dead rock stars. Newt kept getting the tattoos, not just because he was fascinated by the kaiju, but to also remind him of what he was still fighting for. Each kaiju was a reminder of what humanity had lost, and as much as he loved studying the kaiju, he wanted them gone.  


Hermann noticed the new tattoos, would scoff under his breath, and resume writing on his green board, the chalk making scuffing sounds as he placed the equations on it. As much as he thought the tattoos ridiculous and would never understand why Newton would choose those of all things to put on himself, he knew to keep those opinions to himself, let the others be known but never those. Newton had had his sleeves rolled up as usual, tattoos bright and flashing under the lights when Hermann saw the faintest of lines on his arms catch under them. He stopped in his tracks, eyes growing slightly wide, thinking that his mind had played tricks on him, but when he looked again, he saw them once more. He turned back to the board, questions flashing through his mind. He knew better than to ever bring it up, that was up to Newton, but Hermann had never known, had no idea…  


He knew about the shutting away, the medication Newton took to focus and help him, and he knew it wasn’t Newton’s fault, as neither was this. It made him realize just how much he actually didn’t know about his lab partner. He knew he grew up with his father and uncle (never talked about his mother, only mentioned her once 6 years ago, but never again), knew he was near where Choi was when the first kaiju had made it to land, and various other facts but that was it.  


A strange feeling came over Hermann, and he glanced at Newton a little, who had his music in and loud enough that Hermann could hear the tinny music drifting over to his side. He had developed certain feelings, who wouldn’t after 10 years together, but he had no idea if Newton also had the same feelings as he did. He didn’t try to think about feelings much, wasn’t the best in dealing with them, and neither was he one for much physical contact, as was Newton. In fact, he could count on one hand the number of times either had touched the other, and those moments had been brief, a second or two. He really did care for him, under all the snark and insults. It made his stomach clench slightly, and he shook it off, resuming his work on an equation whose answer was taking longer than he had originally thought to appear. The rest of the day was spent in silence, an occasional word said between them, and by the time it was past midnight Hermann was feeling the sleep tug at his eyes. He set down the chalk, feeling his knees creak slightly as he moved.  


Reaching Newton’s desk, he tapped the side with his cane, getting the man’s attention. Pulling out an ear bud, Newton turned his attention to Hermann, looking at him with those bright green eyes Hermann had for some time begun to admire.  


“I’m going to sleep Newton, and I suggest you do the same,” Hermann told him, grabbing his coat.  


“I’m not even tired Hermann besides look at all the work I still have to do plus there’s the results of the test coming in in a few minutes and once that is here—”  


“Newton,” Hermann snapped, stopping the other man’s words. “The last four days you’ve had barely enough sleep to be called ‘adequate’, and you’re running on a sleep high and caffeine. You. Need. Rest.” He tapped his cane on the last three words, emphasizing so Newton knew how serious he was.  


“Alright alright you grumpy old man, fine, but I can guarantee you I’ll be back in here before sun comes up,” Newton replied, grabbing his own coat.  


“A few hours,” Hermann said to him, and Newton snorted in reply. They walked out of the lab together to the rooms that lay across the hall from each other, silence a companion. Once they reached the doors, Hermann expected a quick “night” from the doctor before shutting the door behind him, but to his surprise he felt the man give him a short side hug, say “night”, and venture into his room for, at best, a few hours of sleep.  


Hermann stood in the hall for a moment, feeling a little shocked. Neither usually initiated physical contact, definitely not hugs. He walked into his room in a slight daze, and leaned against the door, which Newt was also doing at the same time. They both could feel the heat of the other’s body on their skin still, and it felt like a warm fire, comforting and pleasurable, and almost wanting for more until they were covered in it. In that moment both of their eyes widened in realization.  


_Oh FUCK._


End file.
